


a drachma for your thoughts?

by dearfelix



Category: Stray Kids (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Fluff, Love Triangles, M/M, basically stray kids ft. the boyz and they're all demigods in the PJO universe, felix is a son of apollo, jisung and eric are sons of hermes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 23:25:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearfelix/pseuds/dearfelix
Summary: “You’re the demigod I’m supposed to find. I’m Jisung, a Hermes kid!” The slightly wild-eyed boy had introduced himself so loudly that a few of their classmates shot them dirty looks. It didn’t take long for Felix and Jisung to become attached at the hip, inseparable. Jisung helped bring Felix out of his shell and made him laugh uncontrollably every day. The loud, silly, hyper, but also endlessly kind and caring son of Hermes was Felix’s first, only, and best friend.Or, where Jisung feels like he's losing his best friend to Eric and he doesn't like it one bit.





	a drachma for your thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by eric from the boyz saying he and felix play video games together and then calling felix his best idol friend THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS THE CUTEST + [this post](https://twitter.com/jeonginsmiIe/status/1005451346642915328) :')
> 
> this is for my fellow jilix enthusiasts, stray typous, and issa

 

 

 

 

 

“Come on, just a little farther. I think- yeah, I think can see the border in the distance!”

 

Felix unfolded himself from the ground where he was hunched over in exhaustion, his eyes landing on a shimmering golden tree atop a distant hill, or rather a wide tree draped with a golden fleece. _The_ golden fleece. The edges of the scene were slightly fuzzy, a sure sign of the Mist at work keeping mortal eyes from seeing anything other than a boring old stretch of grass.

 

“Jisung…” Felix couldn’t believe his eyes. “We did it! Oh my gods, let’s go!” The young demigod grabbed his grinning friend’s hand and they began running toward the tree, all tiredness forgotten for the time being because they were _so close_ to the end of their journey, within arms reach of safe haven—Camp Half Blood.

 

 

 

 

 

For weeks, Felix and Jisung had been on the run from monsters and vengeful minor gods and goddesses. Apparently at the annual summer solstice feast on Mt. Olympus, the stupidly drunk Olympians had riled up the general godly populace with their boasting and debauchery. The minor gods and goddesses dared not retaliate against the Olympians so, as always, they turned toward the powerful beings’ demigod offspring to relieve their pent up anger.

 

Felix’s godly father had visited him the day after the feast, sipping on a flask of hangover nectar like his immortal life depended on it. The god had warned Felix that his life was in danger and he had to seek refuge at Camp Half Blood for the summer, or at least until the minor gods and goddesses had their fill of hunting down innocent demigods.

 

It was a shock to Felix, having to upend his relatively peaceful life with his mom (save for the small monster attack two or three times a year) and set off on a treacherous journey to Camp Half Blood, but he couldn’t stay angry at his father.

 

His father being Apollo, the god of the sun, music, poetry, art, archery, medicine, light, knowledge, and more. He couldn’t stay angry because his father was the god of so many rich aspects of life, yet had visited him in his haggard human form looking profusely apologetic. An Olympian very, very rare apologizes, but Felix could almost see the word “sorry” teetering precariously at the tip of Apollo’s tongue.

 

Felix considered himself lucky. Despite Apollo’s busy schedule, the Olympian made it a point to frequently visit him following his thirteenth birthday, when his demigod scent matured and began to attract monsters. Felix was seventeen now and over the past four years Apollo had spent many an afternoon teaching him the basics of being a demigod, constructively critiquing the lyrics he wrote for fun (although Felix had to admit that his father was better off sticking to basic haikus), and basking in the sun with him at the local beach. Sometimes Felix’s mom would join them and he would catch his father gazing at her with the most tender eyes. In those moments, he let himself dream that this image of a perfect family could last beyond a single afternoon. By seventeen, the young demigod knew that his dream could never come true no matter how much he prayed to Hera, the goddess of family, but he had learned to love his unconventional little family just as it was.

 

Once, Felix had asked why his father was trying so hard to be present when it would be easier to abandon him or at least leave him unclaimed. Apollo had told him in an unexpectedly serious tone that he had lost too many children in the past due to his neglect. After the battle at Mt. Olympus, Percy Jackson had made the gods promise to accept responsibility for their demigod children and Apollo had taken his promise seriously. He was more careful about siring children—“consent is important! no means no,” Apollo had said sternly, conjuring up the #metoo pin he had received at a women’s rights march to show Felix—and, when he did have children, he kept track of their lives and visited each of them when time allowed.

 

“And Felix, don’t tell the others but you’re my favorite child,” the sun god had said, fondly ruffling his blonde locks. “You have many of my gifts but you also work hard. I’m proud of you.”

 

At the end of that particular visit, Apollo had excitedly informed Felix that he would soon meet a demigod friend. The next day, Felix had walked into homeroom to find a transfer student occupying the usually empty seat next to his.

 

“You’re the demigod I’m supposed to find. I’m Jisung, a Hermes kid!” The slightly wild-eyed boy had introduced himself so loudly that a few of their classmates shot them dirty looks. It didn’t take long for Felix and Jisung to become attached at the hip, inseparable. Jisung helped bring Felix out of his shell and made him laugh uncontrollably every day. The loud, silly, hyper, but also endlessly kind and caring son of Hermes was Felix’s first, only, and best friend.

 

Apollo never admitted to it, but Felix knew his father had found out that he was a loner—it was always hard for demigod children to fit in—and had pulled some strings to transfer Jisung to his school. When Hermes had popped by one day to thank him for becoming friends with Jisung, Felix realized that perhaps the two gods had brought them together for both of their sakes.

 

They were two misfits who fit together perfectly.

 

So when Apollo had urged Felix to seek shelter at Camp Half Blood, the teen wasn’t surprised to find Jisung banging on his door moments later, weighed down by two impeccably packed backpacks, a gift from the god of travelers himself. Even though he was setting off on his first monster-infested journey to a foreign destination, Felix had known he would be okay because Jisung was with him.

 

 

 

 

 

The first emotion Felix felt when they broke past the magical border into a peaceful clearing was relief, followed almost immediately by trepidation as his ears picked up on rapidly approaching voices. Jisung reached out to pull him behind his back in case of danger.

 

“Newcomers, took you guys long enough!” A boy with bright red hair who looked to be about their age beamed at them. He was followed by a kind looking centaur, who Felix supposed was Chiron, the famous activities director of Camp Half Blood.

 

“Felix, Jisung, we’ve been waiting for you two,” Chiron said gently, sensing their anxiousness. “Come along, let’s get you two registered at the camp office and then Seungmin here will show you to your cabins.”

 

The two followed Chiron and Seungmin down a dirt path. The latter attempted to make conversation with them, but they were simply too tired to keep up. Felix perked up a little when they exited the dense woods into the camp grounds. At first glance, it looked just how he imagined a typical summer camp to be, with large cabins encircling a green field, brilliant flames rising from the fire pit in the center even though it was still light out. However, as they walked past some of the cabins, Felix realized that these were no ordinary wooden structures—each one varied in size and design, and had its own flair.

 

 _Poseidon_ , he guessed, as they passed the first cabin, which had seashells and pieces of coral embedded in its exterior and a trident symbol hanging above the door. Next, the Ares cabin, a blood red building with barbed wire running menacingly along the edges of the roof. Loud rock music was blasting from within— _I’m on the highway to Hell…_

 

Then they passed a beautiful solid gold cabin that glowed warmly in the late afternoon sun; pretty yellow flowers bloomed in the golden pots lining the windowsills. Jisung nudged him, wiggling his eyebrows toward the shimmering door. This could be none other than the Apollo cabin, Felix’s future home. Two doors down, Felix gave his best friend a nudge back. This cabin was a simple wooden structure but looked the coziest out of any they had seen so far; Hermes’ telltale caduceus symbol was carved into an oak slab above the door. Felix was glad that Jisung would be just a few seconds walk away.

 

After they finally made it to the camp office, filled out some forms (even demigod camps required administrative paperwork, who knew?), and were handed off into Seungmin’s care for the remainder of the day, the wary newcomers were ready to crawl into bed and sleep for an entire mortal lifetime.

 

It looked like Seungmin had other plans though. He dragged them to the impressive dining pavilion, all the while chattering excitedly. They learned that he was a child of Athena, had been living at Camp Half Blood during the summers ever since he was thirteen, and that he despised the _knucklehead children of Ares, especially Seo Changbin, ugh_. As Seungmin launched into a speech on the Top Five Things You Need to Know to Be a Successful Camper at Camp Half Blood, a small crowd of demigods began to gather at their dining table.

 

“Wait,” Seungmin paused in his speech, realizing something, “I don’t even know who your godly parents are. But don’t tell me—I want to guess.”

 

The red head examined Jisung’s face and mannerisms carefully. “Constantly fidgeting, the kind of face that looks harmless but with eyes that hold a mischievous spark, a little on the skinny side. Are you a son of Hermes?”

 

“Yes,” Jisung confirmed, slightly surprised. It was usually hard to recognize children of Hermes because their godly father wasn’t as distinct appearance-wise as most of the other gods and goddesses, and same went for his sons and daughters. The child of Athena hummed to himself in satisfaction at deducing the correct answer.

 

“And you! Handsome face, decently athletic build but not buff like those Ares gym freaks, and are those…freckles?” Seungmin leaned in to get a better look at Felix’s face under the cap he had adorned to hide from the gathered crowd. “Yeah, you’re _definitely_ a son of Apollo.”

 

The freckled demigod nodded timidly, reaching out to grip Jisung’s hand under the table as all eyes turned to him.

 

“Can you stop calling us gym freaks just because you have stick arms?” Quipped a pointy-chinned boy who had sat down next to Seungmin. He stuck out a heavily tattooed hand in welcome. “I’m Changbin, son of Ares. Nice to meet you guys!” He didn’t let go right away while shaking Felix’s hand. “Wow, it’s crazy but you really do kind of look like the sun. Is your hair naturally blonde?”

 

Felix nodded again. His hand was itching to pull his cap down to cover more of his face but he settled for gripping Jisung’s hand tighter instead. The gathered crowd was a little overwhelming and he was starting to become self-conscious of his freckles and blonde hair, aspects of his appearance that had often drawn stares over the years. The stares from this crowd were different than the ones he was used to though. Instead of looking weirded out, the gathered campers seemed to regard him with genuine interest and even admiration. (Although he did catch someone quietly mumble something along the lines of “but imagine how powerful he’d be with black hair” and wasn’t sure how he felt about it.)

 

A third boy, face so delicately sculpted and eyelashes so long that he could only be a child of Aphrodite, settled into the unoccupied seat on one side of Felix and unabashedly lifted the sun of Apollo’s face up with a finger to his chin. “Hm, cute. You’ll be fun to play with. You’ll play with me, right?” The boy’s eyes took on a slight shine as they stared deep into Felix’s and the latter found himself completely mesmerized, unable to refuse the pretty boy’s request.

 

“Minho!” Seungmin said sharply. Minho reluctantly broke their gaze and instantly, like a fog had been lifted, Felix snapped back to his senses. A smirk played at the corner of the son of Aphrodite’s mouth when he spotted the rosy blush climbing up Felix’s cheeks.

 

“Did you just use _Charmspeak_ on Felix?” Jisung finally spoke up, sounding half in awe and half enraged.

 

“So what if I did?”

 

“You…!”

 

Seungmin chuckled nervously and clapped his hands to distract from the rising tension. “You newbies must be tired. Shall we go get you guys settled into your cabins?”

 

As the trio bid goodbye to the table of demigods and headed back toward the cabins, Jisung snaked his arm around Felix’s waist protectively and shot as menacing of glare as he could manage—which wasn’t all that menacing, to be honest—at a still smirking Minho.

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Felix was awakened by someone gently prodding his shoulder. He blinked away the sleep from his eyes to focus on the bright, dimpled smile of the figure squatting next to his bunk.

 

“Hi!” The smiling boy said, patiently waiting for Felix to extract himself from his covers and squeak out a _hi_ in response. He cleared his throat nervously to return it to its usual deep baritone. He had fallen into a deep slumber as soon as Seungmin brought him to the Apollo cabin yesterday evening so he hadn’t had the chance to meet any of his cabin mates…or rather, his half brothers and sisters.

 

“I’m Changmin but you can call me ‘Q’ if my Korean name is too hard to pronounce.”

 

“It’s okay, I can pronounce Changmin,” Felix smiled reassuringly. Changmin was really friendly, lending him a spare toothbrush and towel so he could freshen up and then showing him around the Apollo cabin. In contrast to the extravagant golden exterior, the interior was rather simple and quaint. Bunks piled high with fluffy white pillows and comforters lined the barren walls, light streamed in through the large curtainless windows, and the whole area smelled of fresh linens. Standing in the middle of the spacious cabin, Felix felt the morning sunlight wrap around him like a familiar hug.

 

“Feels like father’s right here with us, huh?” Changmin whispered, also soaking in the sunlight.

 

“Yeah, it kind of does.”

 

 

 

 

 

On their way to the Dining Pavilion, Felix and Changmin bumped into Jisung and one of his newfound half brothers, Eric, an eccentric kid with shockingly blue hair that almost rivaled Seungmin’s firetruck red locks. The sons of Apollo and Hermes enjoyed breakfast together getting to know one another. Felix got a little overexcited when Eric mentioned that he played PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, an online game that Jisung had refused to try out with him; in general, Jisung wasn’t a huge fan of gaming so they rarely played any together. Felix made Eric swear to play Battlegrounds with him in the Rec Room later, to which the latter gleefully agreed.

 

Jisung frowned when he saw them link pinkies in promise. “I want to play too.”

 

“I thought you didn’t like PUBG?” Felix asked.

 

“I just feel like playing games today.”

 

“Okay, we’ll see you there then,” the blonde said, linking pinkies with the brunette as well. “Prepare to get your ass whooped!”

 

Felix continued chatting with Eric and Changmin, a strangely quiet Jisung trailing slightly behind, as the quartet made their way to the Sword Fighting Arena for their first activity for the day, fight training. After the defeat of Kronos and his minions, the campers didn’t have to worry about protecting themselves against Titans, but beyond magical borders of Camp Half Blood they were still the favorite target of monsters.

 

They all grabbed some weapons from the rack and paired off to practice duel ( _NO maiming!_ The instructor had emphasized at least five times). Apollo had taught Felix some basic combat and sword skills but he was legions better at archery; Jisung, on the other hand, was a natural fighter—quick on his feet, precise in his movements, and strategically minded. During their journey to the camp, the former had taken care of long range monsters with a handcrafted bow and arrows while the latter slashed to pieces monsters that had crept too close. They were unevenly matched in the arena but Felix knew the other boy would never harm a hair on his body.

 

Soon, the two became aware that the only sounds in the arena were the clashing of their two swords. The other demigods had paused their fighting to gather in a semicircle, whispering among themselves as they observed the sons of Hermes and Apollo fight their third duel. When Felix fell to ground yet again with Jisung’s dulled practice sword resting gently against his adam’s apple, the instructor started slow clapping, followed by the campers.

 

Eric in particular looked impressed. “Jisung, are you sure you’re a son of Hermes?” He teased. “Us Hermes children are okay at lots of things but just, like, _okay_. But here you are being _damn good_ at fighting.” Some of the gathered campers nodded in agreement.

 

Jisung looked unsure of how to accept the praise so Felix stepped in, feeling extremely proud on his best friend’s behalf. “Sungie is amazing at everything he does. He can fight, do long division in his head, rap and sing _really_ well, cook my favorite foods just how I like them, give amazing cuddles-“

 

“Uh, I’m not that great!” Jisung interrupted hurriedly. Jisung focused on helping Felix dust off his dirtied clothes as he spoke. “Lix is amazing at lots of things too, like writing lyrics and dancing. He’s clumsy but you should see him with a bow and arrow! Actually, I’m clumsy too but he can heal all my wounds so I’m as good as new.” Jisung smiled softly at the blonde, who returned the smile.

 

When the crowd dispersed at the end of class leaving just Eric and Changmin with their new friends, the latter looked between Jisung and Felix curiously. “Are you two, perhaps, dating?”

 

“What? No!” Both exclaimed in unison.

 

“You know, we’re very accepting here so you guys don’t have to hide it,” Eric said. “The past head counselor of Apollo, Will Solace, was the first openly gay camper but since then, no one even bats an eyes. We’re all demigods first and foremost, and that’s all that matters. I mean, I’m gay, and so are some of our friends.”

 

“No, no, it’s not that. Jisung and I are both gay too but…we’re just best friends,” Felix explained.

 

“Right, anyway, enough of this… Let’s go to the Archery Field so Lix can show you guys why he’s Apollo’s favorite kid.”

 

“Hey!” Changmin protested in mock offense. Jisung grabbed Felix’s hand and the pair took off for the nearby field with Eric and an indignant Changmin at their heels.

 

 

 

 

 

True to their pinky promises, Felix, Eric, and Jisung gathered in the Rec Room that night to play Battlegrounds. The newcomers hadn’t been on the internet at all since departing on their journey to Camp Half Blood—monsters were getting too good at tracking demigods through cell signals and internet cookies—so Felix was practically jumping off the walls with excitement when the game flashed on the camp’s outdated computer screens.

 

“Ass whooping, commence!” Eric grinned confidently.

 

“Dream on, Jack Frost. There’s no way I, god of PUBG, will lose to you, a mere mortal.”

 

Jisung tried to block out the fact that his best friend was a grade A nerd (and had already given his blue-haired new friend a nickname) and focus on the game. Not that it was any use because while he excelled at many things, gaming was not one of them. After a few rounds, he settled for silently watching the other two bicker and laugh together. At some point, Jisung started to feel a pang of irritation every time Eric beamed his admittedly adorable smile at Felix, and the sun child returned it with an equally adorable smile of his own. Jisung was used to being on the receiving end of his best friend’s happy expressions since they were all each other had for a long, long time, so it was strange looking at the scene in front of him like a third party observer.

 

Although his stomach churned with an ugly feeling, he noticed some things he wasn’t fully aware of before. Had Felix’ s eyes always crinkled into crescents when he smiled? Had his rosy cheeks always lifted up from the corners of his lips like that? And his lips—had they always been such a deep pink, perfectly heart shaped?

 

“What’s heart shaped?”

 

Jisung blinked rapidly in embarrassment, not realizing he had said the last part under his breath, just loud enough for Felix to hear. When Jisung didn’t answer, the blonde glanced away from the screen for a second to shoot him a concerned look. “Sungie, you okay? You’ve been kind of quiet.”

 

 _I’m not okay actually because it’s been less than a day and I already feel like you’re replacing me_ is what Jisung wanted to say but another idea popped into his head. He brought a hand up to his forehead and faked a small groan. “I don’t know why but I don’t feel that well…”

 

Felix immediately paused the game and brought his hand up to the brunette’s forehead. “Doesn’t seem like a fever,” he concluded after a second. “But come on, let’s go to my cabin. I brought the healing kit Apollo gave me so I can do a better check up there.”

 

“Hey, the game isn’t done yet,” Eric whined when the other two started making their way out of the Rec Room.

 

“Sorry but Jisung’s more important than me beating you for the third time in a row,” Felix said teasingly. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

 

Unsurprisingly, the son of Apollo wasn’t able to determine anything wrong with his best friend after conducting a cursory check up so he chalked it up to exhaustion or stress from adjusting to Camp Half Blood. Even though it technically wasn’t allowed, Felix’s siblings didn’t seem to mind Jisung sleeping in his bed with him for the night so they cuddled and giggled over funny things that had happened that day, like Jisung accidentally whacking Eric with his bow—really, it was an accident—at the Archery Field, until their eyes started feeling heavy.

 

The second to last thought Jisung had before slipping into slumber was how nice Felix’s hand felt in his when they walked out of the Rec Room, just them two in the still night. And the very last thought was how nice Felix felt right now, pressed against his side, a leg and arm slung over him like a koala.

 

It had been an eventful first day at camp with a lot to get used to, but Jisung felt at peace.

 

 

 

 

 

The peace didn’t last though. As days bled into weeks and the newcomers settled into their daily routines, a latent turmoil began to form in the corners of Jisung’s usually clear, steady heart.

 

At least Jisung was wasn’t one for self deception—he knew that the root of his turmoil was the fact that he didn’t like to share Felix with others, or maybe he simply wasn’t used to it.

 

For years, Felix was all his. When there was a school project requiring partners, they would wiggle eyebrows at each other from across the room and put down each other’s names without a second thought. Although they participated in different after school activities—Felix was part of the volunteer services club while Jisung ran track and field—they would wait to walk home together every day. For the lame middle and high school dances that their mothers made them attend, they jokingly went as “dates,” even donning matching patterned bowties. (There was that one homecoming dance where Felix decided to wear an all blue suit and style his hair like a white fuckboy, but they both agreed afterward to never ever bring that look up again.)

 

For years, Felix’s smiles, laughs, tears, worries, warmth, and company were all his. Nearly every happy moment in Jisung’s young life revolved around the golden haired boy who was as bright as the sun his godly father ruled over.

 

The two best friends still spent a lot of time together but they also made new friends in their first few weeks at Camp Half Blood.

 

There were Seungmin and Changbin who fought about _everything_ , although most of the campers would describe it more as Seungmin-teasing-Changbin-and-Changbin-taking-the-bait-every-time.

 

The two were much calmer when kept apart. Seungmin was an Athena kid through and through, usually either buried nose deep in one of the architecture books Annabeth Chase had left behind in the cabin or leveraging his knowledge of war strategies to lead his team to victory during Capture the Flag. On the other hand, Changbin didn’t seem like much of an Ares kid below the surface level bicep muscles, tattoos and piercings, and fighting abilities. He wasn’t nearly as aggressive or combative as his siblings, and was certainly more intelligent than most of them. Felix had taken a liking Changbin because the older boy tolerated his clinginess and constant gushing over how his face was _so manly, your chin and eyes, oh my gods_.

 

There was Jeongin, the adorable son of Iris who everyone, most especially Seungmin, had a soft spot for. When Jisung first saw the rainbow goddess’ child flash a smile filled to the brim with rainbow-colored braces, he couldn’t help but squeal and squeeze the younger boy in a tight hug. That earned him a scary scowl from Seungmin, which only made sense to him later that day after he spotted Jeongin giving the son of Athena a kiss on the cheek and receiving the biggest heart eyes in return. Jisung made a mental note to never get in between those two because just the thought of a vengeful child of Athena sent shivers up his spine. Seungmin seemed okay with Felix permanently attaching himself to Jeongin though, likely because they just acted like silly kindergarteners together.

 

(For example, Felix and Jeongin spent much of their time together uploading “ASMR” videos and awkwardly edited skits to their Youtube channel. They had eighteen subscribers, ten of which were their demigod friends, but a skit entitled _Jeongin Disappearing into the Wall_ had went semi-viral for half a day and garnered almost eighty thousand views.)

 

There was Minho, who still made moves on an oblivious Felix and used _Charmspeak_ on him when he was bored, but Jisung soon realized that the son of Aphrodite did it to get on _his_ nerves. The first few times Jisung almost erupted at him, Minho broke down in laughter and had to use _Charmspeak_ to calm him down. In general though, Minho was a good friend. He thought just as highly of his friends as he did himself, peppering them with compliments and defending them against any potential bullying like a Starbucks-fueled basic bitch out to slash her ex’s tires.

 

There was Chan, the real object of Minho’s affections, and Woojin, Minho’s rival in love. Felix and Jisung had sat down one day to try to put into words the dynamic among the three older demigods, but the best they could do was: Minho and Woojin were both inexplicably whipped for Chan, who was unfortunately in an exclusive, committed relationship with his tattered notebook of inventions and designs. As the perpetually multi-tasking camp counselor of the Hephaestus cabin, Chan was stretched thin juggling his counselor duties, countless prototypes in the works, and ideas for new contraptions. The poor kid barely had time to sleep, much less acknowledge Minho’s obvious flirting or eat the healthy meals Woojin lovingly prepared for him.

 

Woojin was a son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, the harvest, and nourishment, and bore many similarities to his godly parent—like Demeter, he minded his own business and appeared almost maternal…until you got on his bad side. When he found out that Minho was throwing out the nutrient dense, whole-foods-plant-based meals he left at Chan’s worktable every day, Woojin summoned a pouring rain cloud to follow the son of Aphrodite around for a whole day. He staunchly shut up the yelps of _oh my gods this is ruining my foundation_ with a simple _test me and I’ll make it a thunder cloud_.

 

There was Hyunjin, a child of Nike, the goddess of victory, who won just about every duel and game of Capture the Flag with ease. Between his handsome looks, impeccable physical abilities, and mathematically improbable amount of luck, there was nothing he didn’t emerge victorious from, yet Jisung couldn’t bring himself to dislike the golden boy because _godsdamnit_ he was good natured and sweet too. Where Hyunjin went, Hyunjoon, another child of Nike and a close friend of Eric and Changmin’s, wasn’t far behind. The two sons of Nike were like a less awkward, more mature, but just as clingy version of Felix and Jisung.

 

And then there were Eric and Changmin. Jisung didn’t have a problem with Changmin because he and Felix were siblings…but Eric was a different story.

 

Following the first time, the gamer boys spent every night hunkered down in the Rec Room playing Battlegrounds and then spent breakfast gossiping about kpop idols and discussing anime. Basically, they were huge nerds who shared a lot of nerdy common interests—interests that Jisung didn’t have. He had tagged along to the Rec Room with Felix in the beginning but stopped when he realized that he had nothing to contribute to their conversations. Not only did they like the same things, but Felix and Eric had similar soft, positive personalities as well as coinciding activities schedules. It wasn’t a surprise that the two of them became fast friends.

 

Jisung tried his hardest not to react when the two shared an inside joke he wasn’t privy to or went off somewhere without inviting him, but each instance fed the turmoil in him. To make it worse, Eric was a fellow son of Hermes. They were family—how could he have ugly thoughts about his own family? So Jisung found himself consumed with jealousy _and_ guilt, and unsure of how to quell either feeling.

 

He was losing Felix to Eric and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

Or so he believed.

 

 

 

 

 

Chiron was feeling nostalgic one day and decided to use one of those nifty mortal mechanisms—he was pretty sure it was called a polaroid camera—to take some candid shots of the campers throughout the summer. Since he was too busy organizing activities, he entrusted the task to a wind spirit who liked to lounge on the tranquil breezes floating around Camp Half Blood.

 

“Sir, you want me to spy on the demigods and report back with these laminated sheets as evidence?”

 

“It’s called _capturing memories._ ”

 

“Ooh you even have a code name for the mission. Roger that, sir!” The wind spirit disappeared into thin air with the camera and a set of overly expensive film before Chiron could correct her.

 

 

 

 

 

[ **Snapshot _gamma_ : **All of the demigods at Camp Half Blood sitting around the bonfire one starry night roasting vegan marshmallows.

 

 **Caption:** _Jeongin’s favorite hyung is Seungmin :) +a love triangle???_ ]

 

Jisung sat shoulder to shoulder with Felix roasting both of their marshmallows because the blonde had burnt his first one to a crisp. They were surrounded by all of their friends—Woojin and Minho had even managed to drag Chan away from his worktable to relax for a few hours. Jisung wasn’t sure who initially suggested it but they were playing Truth or Dare (or rather, just Truth because everyone was too lazy to get up).

 

“Jeongin, who’s your favorite hyung?”

 

Jeongin flushed as all eyes swiveled between him and the child of Athena sitting next to him. Seungmin smirked when Jeongin shyly pointed at him and reached out to poke the younger boy’s cheeks.

 

“Next, um, Eric,” Jeongin continued quickly to distract attention away from him. “Who’s your best camp friend?”

 

The blue haired boy perked up at the question. Jisung felt his left leg begin jittering, a nervous habit of his, as he observed Eric mimicking Jeongin’s action of shyly pointing…at Felix. “Felix?” Eric sounded hesitant at first but then he nodded at the blonde with more surety. “Yeah, Felix. He’s cute. I like his freckles.”

 

The circle cooed at the simple and pure answer. Both subjects of the Truth were blushing a faint red but the glow of the cackling fire helped mask their faces.

 

“Jisung,” Eric then said, an almost undetectable edge of challenge in his voice. “What about you? Best camp friend?”

 

“Mine is also Felix,” Jisung answered immediately. For a few seconds, he leveled his cabin mate with an even stare; the only thing giving away his inner nervousness was his jittery leg. When the group’s attention shifted to the next victim of their game, Felix discreetly laid a hand on Jisung’s thigh to still his movements and his hand remained there, heavy and warm, for the rest of the night.

 

 

 

 

[ **Snapshot _iota_ :** Felix and Hyunjoon playing marble-scroll-dagger to determine who would get first pick for a game of Capture the Flag.

 

 **Caption:** _“Sungie, come here” AHHH I SHIP IT_ ]

 

“Marble crushes dagger! I get first pick,” Felix yelped happily. He scanned the faces of the gathered demigods and grinned when it fell on Eric’s. Or was it Jisung’s? They were standing side by side in the back with the rest of their cabin.

 

Hyunjoon would pick Hyunjin, ensuring a sure victory for his team and a sure defeat for Felix’s, but for some reason both sons of Hermes were intensely focused on the sun child’s decision.

 

“Sungie, come here.”

 

Jisung let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

 

Hyunjoon picked Eric right after, followed by Felix selecting Seungmin, Hyunjoon snagging Hyunjin, and so on. Felix’s team, with sunny yellow ribbons around their waists, got into position on one end of the forest while Hyunjoon’s blue team arranged themselves on the other end. Seungmin ran his team through a strategy he insisted would outsmart even the victory duo of the Nike cabin.

 

To everyone’s surprise, including Seungmin’s, thirty minutes later the yellow pinnies were within sight of the blue team’s flag. The strategist himself had lost his yellow ribbon early on but Felix, Jisung, and Minho had made it intact to the edge of the clearing where the blue team’s flag rested under a large oak tree. They regrouped behind some nearby bushes to go over the plan.

 

“Okay, I see Hyunjin and Woojin guarding their flag. Hyunjoon is probably leading the charge for our flag—we don’t have any time to lose. Minho, how about you and I distract those two while Jisung goes for the flag? He’s the fastest runner.”

 

“I’ll take on Woojin,” Minho whispered back with a glint in his eyes. “Felix will be our sacrificial lamb to Hyunjin.”

 

Felix pouted but, well, _someone_ had to be sacrificed. With that, the three ran into the clearing hollering like maniacs. Jisung made a sharp pivot toward the flag once Hyunjin and Woojin were engaged in battle with his teammates—he could almost feel the power of Minho’s _Charmspeak_ resonate through the air and he knew Felix would put up a strong fight even against an opponent as formidable as one of Nike’s star children. Jisung was just a few meters away from the flag when he felt a rustling in the branches of the overhanging tree and, in the next instant, a heavy weight landed on his shoulders, knocking him to the ground.

 

Electric blue entered the edge of his vision— _Eric_. His cabin mate had ambushed him by jumping from a hidden low hanging branch of the oak tree. Before Eric could snag Jisung’s ribbon, the brunette locked his brother’s arm behind his back to flip their positions with ease. The element of surprise had worn off and Jisung was back in control. He made quick work of wrestling a squirming Eric to the ground and ripping the blue ribbon from around his waist.

 

Without looking back, Jisung sprinted the rest of the distance to the blue flag. As his hand wrapped around the flagpole and hoisted it up into the air, his eyes found Felix’s across the clearing. Seconds later, he had an armful of exuberant sun child. _So this is what it feels like, to be hugged by the sun_ , he thought.

 

 

 

 

 

[ **Snapshot _pi_ :** Felix giving a Hunter of Artemis a massage in the infirmary while Jilix looks on with a frown.

 

 **Caption:** _Felix is Jisung’s heartshaker, confirmed!_ ]

 

“Okay Mina, you’re all set. I can try an acupuncture treatment if your back is still bothering you in a few hours.”

 

The drop dead gorgeous Hunter tied her hair back up into a ponytail with a few smooth flicks of her wrist and then shot Felix the loveliest smile in thanks. Jisung felt his heart stutter.

 

_Wait, if my extremely gay heart just stuttered because of Mina’s smile, Felix’s low-key gay heart might be falling In Love._

 

“Um, Mina, didn’t you mention other Hunters? Can we meet them?” Jisung asked in an attempt to draw their attention away from each other.

 

Mina hummed thoughtfully. “My guess is they’re all hanging out at the Archery Field. Come, I’ll introduce you guys.”

 

_Oh my gods, yes, let’s get out of this tiny infirmary where you can trap Felix with your heart stopping smile and make him fall In Love with you._

 

Jisung’s scheme didn’t really go as planned though because it turned out that the other eight Hunters of Artemis were just as beautiful as Mina. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu were their names. Seeing all nine of the Hunters together, Jisung couldn’t help but think that they could easily give Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, a run for her drachmas.

 

For some reason, the Hunters took an instant liking to Felix when he introduced himself as a son of Apollo. Jisung clutched his best friend’s hand as the nine immortals fawned over the sun child’s golden hair, pretty face, and freckles like a bunch of aggressively adoring older sisters. The son of Hermes didn’t let the scowl drop from his face until the Hunters finally had their fill of pinching the blonde’s cheeks and turned their attention back to making bullseye after bullseye on the archery targets.

 

“Will you stop waving at Mina? Let’s go,” Jisung swatted at Felix’s hand. The blonde obediently followed him off of the Archery Field despite his snappy behavior.

 

“What’s up with you?” Felix asked once they were back by the cabins.

 

“Lix, they were all over you! I swear to gods Jihyo was ready to kidnap you from Camp Half Blood and bring you on their next Hunt, and did you see how Nayeon was petting your hair?”

 

Felix suddenly burst into rolling laughter, clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. The brunette knit his brows in confusion at the reaction. “Oh my gods, you’re jealous. Of the Hunters. I can’t believe you.”

 

“So what if I am?”

 

“First of all,” Felix wheezed out in between gasps for air, “They’re the Hunters of Artemis, meaning they’re maidens who have sworn off men or basically any kind of romantic love. They’re devoted wholly to Artemis and the Hunt. Second, Artemis is Apollo’s twin sister which means she’s my aunt; even though the Hunters aren’t her actual children, they’re still kind of like my first cousins. I know the Olympian family tree is a mess but first cousins are just- no. And lastly, I’m gay!”

 

Jisung wanted to kick himself for not knowing anything about the Hunters and being rude to them out of baseless jealousy. Felix rolled his eyes at his apologetic expression. “You really should’ve paid attention during our Classics class.”

 

“In my defense…that class was at nine in the morning and my brain doesn’t function until noon at the earliest.”

 

 

 

 

 

[ **Snapshot _tau_ :** Felix, Jisung, and Eric laying down a blanket on the sands of Fireworks Beach for a day of swimming and tanning. ]

 

 **Caption:** _Jisung cares about Felix so much pls I’m going to cry :(_ ]

 

Felix let out a whine after they settled onto the blanket. “It’s too sunny!”

 

Eric laughed as Felix tried unsuccessfully to block out the blazing sun with his small hands. The younger boy took off the baseball cap he was wearing and gingerly placed it on his friend’s windswept locks. “You’re a son of Apollo. You’re literally part sun.”

 

“Just because he’s a son of Apollo doesn’t mean he has to like the sun…” Jisung muttered, reaching out to fix the lopsided cap so it covered more of Felix’s face. And then under his breath- “idiot.”

 

“What’d you call me?” Eric glared.

 

Before Jisung could reply, Felix cleared his throat and threw his arms around his friends. “I’m so happy we can all spend such a beautiful day at the beach _together_! Let’s go into the water while Poseidon’s still keeping it calm.”

 

The boys stripped down to their swim trunks. Jisung applied some sunscreen on himself and then handed the tube to Felix. For a moment, Eric watched as Felix slathered sunscreen onto his face and neck, Jisung helping him rub some lotion onto the part of his back he couldn’t easily reach.

 

“But seriously,” the youngest spoke up, “Is this about your freckles again? I tell you all the time, I like your fr-“

 

“Sunscreen protects against _UV rays_ to _prevent_ _skin cancer_. We may be demigods but we’re not immune to human diseases,” Jisung scoffed.

 

“I know that! I just meant…”

 

Leaving the two sons of Hermes behind, Felix practically flung himself into the water to drown out his friends’ bickering. It was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

Chiron flipped through the polaroids the wind spirit had just handed him. He lifted a quizzical eyebrow at the captions but decided it was best to leave them be. The last thing he wanted was an angry wind spirit fangirl to deal with.

 

 

 

 

 

“My mom visited me and Hyunjoon the other day,” Hyunjin said one morning in between bites of breakfast. “She said the monsters are kind of over the fiasco during the summer solstice so we can probably leave camp in the next week or so.”

 

“Oh, my mom sent me a message about that too! She said that the kids of the Olympians will probably have to give it a couple of extra weeks though,” Jeongin added. At his side, Seungmin face pulled into a deep frown even though he had likely heard the news from his boyfriend already. His change in expression caught the attention of some of the other campers at the table, reminding them that they too had little time left to spend with their friends, lovers, and…those in between friend and lover. They’ll probably all return to Camp Half Blood the next summer but who knew for sure? The life of a demigod was a treacherous one and even with the relative peace following Kronos’ defeat, a demigod’s next birthday was never something to be taken for granted.

 

Jisung glanced over at Eric to find him staring at Felix with a distressed frown that matched Seungmin’s. _Right_ , unlike Jisung who lived a block away from Felix, Eric didn’t have the same privilege of returning home with his new best friend. The brunette’s left leg began jittering at the realization that his cabin mate may make a move soon, spurred on by the ticking of time.

 

Minho suddenly shot up from his seat at the table, mumbling something about _Chan_ and _need to confess_ as he headed in the general direction of the Hephaestus cabin. Woojin, too, excused himself to run after the departed child of Aphrodite.

 

The table filled with an uneasy silence until Changbin set his second glass of soy milk down with a loud clang. “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s follow them.”

 

Jisung, Felix, and Eric, the notorious troublemaking trio of the group, returned his mischievous smile and were soon leading the charge toward the Hephaestus cabin. When they arrived under the window closest to Chan’s work table, Changbin brought a finger to his lips. _Quiet_. Three voices could be heard inside.

 

“-known all along that I liked you?” That was Minho. Jisung gulped at the sense of betrayal in his tone, already having second thoughts about listening in on this conversation.

 

“Of course. You’ve always made your feelings really clear, Minho. You hang around my dusty work room all the time and pretend to be interested in my inventions because you know I like talking about them. Woojin, you too, I know you don’t go around leaving harvest bowls and fresh picked flowers on everyone’s work tables. You put so much effort into taking care of me.”

 

“So then…why?” Came Woojin’s voice.

 

Chan sounded hesitant. “Honestly, I’m just stressed and confused and the confusion is making me more stressed, so I’m just- I try not to think about it. I grew up building legos and tinkering with hardware and now I’m creating this weird little devices, so _that_ I get. I feel comfortable in this work room because _I get it_. But this love thing I don’t get at all because I think I like both of you a lot? Equally? But that’s not how it’s supposed be, right?”

 

A long stretch of silence followed, so long that an impatient Changbin made Hyunjin hoist him up so he could peek into the room and whisper reports on the scene to the eavesdropping friends. “Woojin and Minho are kind of staring at each other intensely, but in a way that’s like, um, they’re communicating without actually saying words? And Chan is just standing in between them looking like a lost puppy.”

 

Finally, Woojin spoke up. “What if we told you it’s okay that you like both of us?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Like, what if all three of us were together so you can be with both of us?”

 

“ _Huh?_ ”

 

Minho let out a frustrated groan and the sound of his fist banging down on the table filtered out the window. Jisung and Felix exchanged knowing looks—no-nonsense Minho was back. “Listen here ya cute dummy, Woojin is talking about polyamory! It’s the twenty first century and we’re all consenting adults, so if you want, Woojin and I would love to both be your boyfriends, and one another’s too. Three boyfriends together in a relationship. Like a love triangle, but all three sides are connected. Do you get it now?”

 

“Oh my gods, Chan is blushing so hard,” Changbin whispered from his vantage point on Hyunjin’s shoulders.

 

“You guys would do that for me?”

 

“I literally manipulate the setting outside your window so that more sunlight will enter this dingy work room of yours. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you…”

 

“You’re the only being on earth that I’ve never used _Charmspeak_ on no matter how frustrated I get with you, and believe me, you really test me sometimes. If I can do that, I can definitely handle two boyfriends.”

 

The son of Haphaestus hummed cheerfully in reply, clearly delighted. “Okay then, let’s give this a try.”

 

“Oh Hades!” Changbin shrieked, clambering off of Hyunjin in a panic. Woojin’s head popped over the edge of the windowsill before the tattooed demigod’s feet even hit the ground. To say he looked pissed would be an understatement.

 

“You guys are the noisiest eavesdroppers _ever_. Now leave before I give you guys your own personal thunder clouds.”

 

 

 

 

 

Despite their tacit tug-of-war over Felix’s attention and affection, Jisung and Eric actually got along quite well. They were awkward at first, but being just a few months apart they were assigned to the same bunk and often paired together during cabin activities by their camp counselor. All of the forced interactions by the camp, and by Felix as well, helped them learn to enjoy each other’s company, keep their passive aggressive jealousy to a minimum, and develop a solid foundation of trust and respect between them. Perhaps it was due to this mutual understanding that neither of them had brought up the the hundred-headed drakon in the room—the drakon being their feelings for Felix of course.

 

After witnessing (see: eavesdropping on) the confession scene inside Chan’s work room, it became impossible to ignore. That night, when Eric came back from gaming in the Rec Room with Felix, Jisung was waiting up for him.

 

“Wanna take a walk to the lake?”

 

Eric looked like he had been expecting the request. “Sure, but let’s loop by the arena.”

 

Jisung agreed and led the way out of their cabin and toward the Sword Fighting Arena, too anxious to question the destination. They didn’t speak for most of the walk but right before they arrived at the arena, Eric spun around to face him.

 

“I know what this is about. We both like Felix,” Eric said, his words ringing in the stillness of the night, “But I’m not like Woojin and Minho—I don’t want to share him with you.”

 

“Me neither.”

 

“Well, I guess it’s good that we agree on that…I love you man, but not like that.”

 

“Yeah, and we’re brothers,” Jisung pointed out with a light laugh. The air between them remained taught with tension. It almost felt wrong, having this conversation that would lead to heartbreak for one or the other or maybe even both on such a tranquil summer night, but the setting was deceiving. Summer was drawing to a close. The demigods didn’t have many carefree days together left. “So now the question is which one of us gets to confess first, right?”

 

“I actually have a proposal to help us decide that fairly.” The younger boy motioned toward the arena’s door. “Let’s have a duel—no maiming obviously—and the winner gets to confess first. We can swear on the River Styx to seal the deal so there’s no chance of the loser sabotaging the confession.”

 

The brunette considered the idea. It wasn’t a bad idea—like Eric said, it was fair and binding. Besides, he didn’t have a better idea to propose. “Alright, let’s do it.”

 

“Don’t sound so confident,” Eric warned. “You may be a naturally good fighter, but I’ve been practicing a lot lately.”

 

Jisung came to find out several minutes later that the blue haired boy wasn’t kidding about the extra practice. He had come close to kissing the dust twice so far while Eric didn’t seem the slightest bit out of breath. Since they weren’t out to draw blood, their main objective was to cause the other to tumble to the ground using well placed jabs of the sword or hand-to-hand combat skills. Jisung dodged another swing and stuck out a leg while he was crouched low, but his opponent easily avoided the attempt to trip him. They both hopped back, leaving some space between them as they circled each other like beady-eyed harpys. Then, in the blink of an eye, Eric darted forward and barreled into him full force, sending both of them tumbling to the packed dirt.

 

When Jisung came back to his senses, he found the blunt point of a practice sword poised right above his heart. Jisung had lost.

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m going to do it first thing tomorrow,” Eric said on the walk back to their cabin. “Depending on how that goes, you can ask him later that day. If you want.”

 

“Depending on how that goes… Yeah, I guess I’ll only have the chance if he rejects you,” Jisung grinned in what was supposed to be a joking manner, but he looked so anxious that he only further dampened the mood. He hurriedly continued on, “But it’s fine! We’ll just have to leave it in the hands of the Fates.”

 

“Yeah, we’ll leave it to them.”

 

 

 

 

 

The following day was a Saturday, which meant the campers had a day free of activities to enjoy however they liked. While their friends noisily argued over whether to head to the beach (“But it’s too sunny!”) or have a friendly archery match (“Changbin will cry if he loses though” “Shut up, Seungmin”), Jisung and Eric chomped on their breakfast mechanically; no one in the group seemed to notice that the two mood makers weren’t contributing to the conversation at all. No one that is, except Felix.

 

“Are you _sure_ you guys feel okay?” The sunny blonde asked his friends for the umpteenth time.

 

This time instead of nodding their heads in taciturn unison, Eric put down his spoon and pushed back his chair. “Lix, can I talk to you? Alone?”

 

“Me? Sure, I guess?” Felix sounded even more worried than before but after shooting Jisung a puzzled look and receiving only an encouraging nod in response, he reluctantly followed Eric out of the Dining Pavilion. Once the pair disappeared from view, the table abruptly stopped their discussion. Jisung kept his eyes on the bowl of cereal in front of him even when he felt the burn of a dozen curious stares directed at him.

 

“So, what was that all about?”

 

“Eric’s gonna confess to Felix…”

 

“ _What!?_ ” The table erupted into garbled chaos until Seungmin managed to form a coherent sentence. “I mean, that makes sense because Eric looks like a lovesick puppy around him…but what about you?”

 

Jisung tried his best to shrug nonchalantly. “Eric beat me in a duel yesterday so he gets to confess first. If he gets rejected, I’ll confess this afternoon.”

 

“Oh my gods, you guys fought it out like a bunch of Ares knuckleheads?”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Dude, listen, love is a competition,” Hyunjin interjected above the din of voices. “You can’t give your rival such a huge handicap. You gotta go for the prize with all that you have.” Beside him, Hyunjoon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, probably wary of one of his good friends being labeled as Jisung’s “rival.”

 

“Felix isn’t a prize to be won,” Jisung protested weakly.

 

Minho shoved the son of Nike to the side with an exasperated huff. “Don’t listen to Hyunjin. I’m the son of Aphrodite so I’m an expert in love, even though Chan was a piece of work but that’s not a testament to my irrefutable expertise. He’s just dumb. _Anyway_ , communication is key.” This earned Minho a nod of agreement from Jeongin, whose mother was the messenger of the gods. “Go run after them this instant before I make you with _Charmspeak_.”

 

Hearing his friends’ urgent tones, Jisung felt his left leg began to jitter uncontrollably again but this time there was no Felix beside him to steady it with a reassuring hand.

 

“I can’t,” the brunette choked out, on the verge of panicky tears. “We swore on the River Styx that the winner could confess first. I can’t do anything but wait around.”

 

The table of campers quieted down at that. Swearing on the River Styx couldn’t be taken lightly. Woojin laid a hand on Jisung’s and gave him a kind, calming smile that helped to keep his tears at bay, for now. “That’s okay sweetie. We’ll wait here with you.”

 

 

 

 

 

True to their words, most of Jisung’s friends stuck around and did their best to distract him. Changmin and Hyunjoon excused themselves because they were very good friends with Eric and didn’t feel right partaking in the “Jilix party” (Jeongin had thought of the name and no one had dared turn down the excited teen, what with his protective boyfriend shooting them threatening glares and all). Changbin was in the middle of showing him some “hardcore rock music” when Chan came to join them, hair a wild mess of curls as always. There were plenty of empty seats but he opted to squeeze himself in the small space between his boyfriends.

 

“On my way here I saw Felix sitting by the river alone,” Chan informed the group once he was settled. “Did something happen?”

 

“He was alone?” Jisung asked, surprised.

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure-”

 

That could only mean that Eric was done confessing. Jisung hightailed it in the direction of the river with all the foot speed of Hermes’ star child before any of the other demigods could try to hold him back.

 

 

 

 

 

Jisung was out of breath from running up and down the riverbank by the time he finally spotted the telltale blonde locks, shining golden in the sunlight. Felix’s head was resting against his folded legs, his face was angled toward the sky. He seemed to be mumbling something to himself but Jisung knew that he was probably praying to his godly father up on Mt. Olympus.

 

While waiting for Felix to wrap up his prayer, Jisung took the opportunity to admire the son of Apollo’s distinctive features. Although he couldn’t see them from this distance, a smile unconsciously slipped onto the brunette’s face when he thought of the freckle to the bottom left of Felix’s right eye. That was his favorite freckle among Felix’s collection of pretty sun marks.

 

“Sungie?”

 

Jisung snapped out of his revelry at the call of his name. Before he could lose his nerve, he went to sit beside the blonde, leaving just the slightest distance between them.

 

“You know, right?”

 

Jisung dipped his head slightly, waiting for Felix to go on.

 

“That Eric just confessed to me.”

 

Even though Felix’s low voice trailed off quietly, Jisung heard the words loud and clear. He attempted to ask how it went but his heavy tongue felt like it had fallen victim to Medusa’s petrifying gaze.

 

“What do you think of that, Sungie?”

 

The brunette was taken aback by both the question and the strangely fierce look in Felix’s eyes. “What do you mean, what do I think?”

 

“You like me too, don’t you?”

 

“What- How did you-”

 

“Aren’t you going to ask me out?”

 

“I…” Jisung brought a sweaty hand up to hide the deep blush making its way across his face, which only seemed to fuel the sun child’s confidence.

 

“Okay, then I’ll ask!” Felix cleared his throat. “Han Jisung, son of Hermes, my best friend…I like you so much. Will you be my boyfriend?” He produced a slightly bent sunflower from behind his back and held it out expectantly toward Jisung.

 

When Jisung processed what had just happened, he shot forward automatically to snatch the flower. He hoped Felix understood that the action was his way of saying _yes_ , for he simply couldn’t form coherent words at the moment. He held the yellow bloom tightly in his hand, extracting enough faux courage from it to meet Felix’s eyes. The son of Apollo was _beaming_. Oh, how Jisung wanted to place kisses all over the blonde’s cute cheeks, nose, and lips.

 

But just like with the confession, Felix beat him to the chase. The tongue-tied demigod felt a pair of soft lips press against the corner of his mouth; the pressure was gone in an instant but it warmed up his entire face.

 

Felix’s face was now a few shades pinker than before (Jisung thought that the extra color made him look even prettier). “I like Eric, but just as a friend. You’re the only one I want to hold hands and cuddle with...and kiss.”

 

“I can’t believe my skin is _literally_ _sun kissed_ ,” Jisung finally mumbled with a dopey grin on his face.

 

Felix closed the distance between them to hug his boyfriend tightly, burying his flushed face into the crook of the brunette’s neck. “Stop comparing me to the sun when you’re the one who’s like sunshine.”

 

“No, no, you’re definitely the sunshine!”

 

“No, _you_ are. You can make anyone happy without even trying.”

 

“You’re the son of Apollo! Your smile is so bright I’m blinded every time! Your eyes do this crescent thing-“

 

“Oh my gods, will you guys _shut up_? You’re both sunshines!”

 

Felix and Jisung spun around in shock at what could only be Seungmin’s annoyed voice. There, crouched low in the dense weeds along the riverbank, was their group of friends, sporting sheepish looks at being caught eavesdropping for the second time in as many days. But with Felix in his arms right where he belonged, Jisung was too overflowing with the rainbows of Iris, warmth of Hestia, and love of Eros to be angry at his dumb friends.

 

 

 

[ **Snapshot _zeta_ :** Felix pressing a kiss to the corner of Jisung’s mouth as the sun bathes them in a golden glow and the traveling wind sends a breeze through their hair.

 

 **Caption:** _OMG Apollo and Hermes have given their blessing. JILIX IS REAL._ ]

 

 

 

 

 

Demigods belonged neither here nor there, existing in the Misty space between human and god. It was many a demigod’s fate to forever wander aimlessly in search of shelter and meaning, but the Fates were kind to Felix and Jisung. One, a child of travelers and hospitality, brought shelter; another, a child of the life-giving sun and fine arts, brought meaning; together, they were home.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> comments & kudos are appreciated~♡
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/smileyfelix) / [tumblr](https://smileyfelix.tumblr.com)


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